Position: Operations Manager 

Reports to: Programme Manager

Is line manager for: Operations Officer, Operations Interpreter, IM & GIS Officer.

Works in partnership with : Regional office manager, Programme Coordinator, Admin & Finance Officer

Location: Afar field & Semera HQ with occasional travel to Addis for monthly & quarterly meetings.

Closing Date: 14/10/2025

Contract type: fixed term(12 months, renewable, 60 days probation)

About The HALO Trust 

HALO is the world’s oldest and largest demining organisation, with 10,000 staff in 30 countries. 98% of HALO’s staff are local employees and include a growing number of women. Wearing the HALO badge is to belong in a team sharing one purpose: serving people affected by conflict, clearing landmines and explosive remnants of war that threaten lives long after fighting has finished. At HALO, we pride ourselves in the life-saving work we do, and have correspondingly high expectations of the staff we employ. 

Role Summary 

The Operations Manager (OM) is directly responsible for all operations and operational staff. He directly manages Operations officers (OO), Operations Interpreter, and IM & GIS Officer. They coordinate closely with the Programme Coordinator (PC), Regional Office Manager, and the Programme Manager (PM).

The OM will ensure that operations across the programme are deployed in line with donor contracts and receive sufficient quality assurance. Alongside the OO, they support the PM in bringing together senior staff to review targets, new projects, lessons from accidents and incidents, QA data, and annual Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) reviews.

Reporting to the PM, the OM provides updates, reports, and support to ensure the successful implementation of all mine action projects across the programme. The OM also deputises for the PM as required and support programme-wide meetings, including Accident and Incident reviews for operations and fleet.

The OM will conduct regular visits across all field tasks, at least once per cycle. They will oversee and support the programme deployment plans for teams, training, and operational support. The OM works closely with the Programme Coordinator, Admin & Finance Officer, Regional Office Manager, and Logistics department to ensure necessary resources are distributed effectively across all field teams. They will also work closely with the Human Resources department to Quality Check (QC) attendance records, and action any operational disciplinary measures. 

Providing critical support to PM, the OM will proactively troubleshoot issues in a dynamic environment and contribute to long-term planning of operations in Ethiopia.

Key Duties & Responsibilities 

Field Management

• Plan and lead the Admin Day, Deployment Day, and Recovery Day.
• Prioritise task visits across the programme as per requirements, ensuring regular visits to all field tasks and locations in Ethiopia (minimum of one visit to each task once a cycle).
• Observe and interact with all levels of field management (SUCs/Operations Officers, Team Leaders, Deputy Team Leaders), debriefing them on your observations and considerations.
• Conduct quality checks of the fleet (rentals and HALO-owned) and report to the Regional Office Manager and Programme Coordinator any action required to improve staff safety.
• Conduct quality checks of accommodations to ensure living conditions, water, sanitation, hygiene, etc., are being maintained to an appropriate standard, and report individuals, practices, issues, and situations as necessary for adequate corrective action to take place.

Multitask Teams management 

• Set overall objectives for HALO Ethiopia survey activity in alignment with programme and any national authority strategic priorities. 
• Safely and effectively deploy all MTTs in line with donor contracts and in pursuance of contractual outputs. 
• Responsible for ensuring all MTTs adhere to NTS and EOD global SOPs. 
• Lead on the creation of Ethiopia Survey SOPs, ensuring best practice and compliance with IMAS Land Release principles and safety. 
• Perform quality checks on MTT reports (Survey, EOD, Evidence, Resurvey and Cancellation), ensuring they meet HALO guidelines, cross referencing the deployment plans and GO-IMS. 
• Provide QA for MTTs working in the field, spending an equal time with each team (a minimum of each team once a month). 

Quality Control and Reporting

• Prepare and submit the monthly HALO report to the Ethiopian Mine Action Office, ensuring it is delivered on time (before the last day of the month).
• Ensure that Operations Officers and Team Leaders are correctly using and updating the daily activity reports submitted via Survey123, performing ad hoc quality control checks on all reports submitted verifying accuracy, completeness, and adherence to reporting standards through cross-checks with task books.
• Fully utilise Survey123 during field visits to ensure all non-conformities are formally recorded and all corrective actions are undertaken as necessary. Ensure that the SUCs/Operations Officers are also utilising Survey123 during their field visits appropriately.
• In collaboration with the Operations Officer, prepare and present non-conformity data reports at the monthly operations meetings.
• Lead on monthly ops meetings with the operations team to ensure insights are provided into clearance rates, non-conformities, QA data, ongoing and potential challenges, completion date forecasts, future tasks, potential areas of future clearance priority, and ongoing initiatives. 
• Lead on the management of the QA team to ensure that QA data is appropriately collected and utilised in monthly review. Use this data to inform on refresher training/ad hoc training and the implementation of operational changes where required.  

Operational Personnel Management

• Maintain overall responsibility for operational staff welfare, including morale, motivation, and discipline. Ensure that all clearance/operations staff are managed in line with Ethiopia employment law. 
• Monitor the number of operators, medics, deputy team leaders, team leaders, and anticipate recruitment and training needs, reporting it to PM as soon as possible.
• Work with the HR department to nominate candidates for promotion when there is opportunity. 
• Manage the Operations Interpreter, ensuring they are doing their job as outlined in their terms of reference. 
• Work with the HR department to manage paid/unpaid leave requests and HR issues of operational staff to ensure effective management oversight is maintained.
• Ensure fair and objective evaluations of employees are conducted, including writing appraisals where required by the PM.
• Ensure that any violation of safety rules, breaches of discipline, or personnel disputes are dealt with appropriately and reported to the PM. 

Training

• Support with national and international staff training courses.
• Gather information from the Operations Officers or Sub-Unit Commanders regarding training requirements.
• Lead the planning and implementation of annual operational refresher training with the support of the SUCs and Operations Officers. 
• Ensure that all training is documented and a proper training database maintained. 

Donor, National Mine Action Authority and Community Liaison

• Maintain a good working relationship with UNMAS, providing with regular formal and informal updates.
• Assist programme management in planning donor visits, including the selection of site visits and routes.
• Maintain constant liaison with the Ethiopian Mine Action Office Director and any other EMAO staff dispatched to HALO’s AO.
• Conduct operational and site briefings for donors as required.
• Ensure HALO maintains good relationships with the local communities where HALO operates. 

Operational Planning & Development

• Lead the development and implementation of operational efficiency. Ensure compliance with HALO operational SOPs; proactively work to identify improvements and develop innovative methods of clearance.
• Lead on the preparation of monthly operational cycle plans and deployment plans in conjunction, to be completed by the 25th of each month, taking into account donor obligation and targets. 
• Lead on the creation of annual work plans: which Kabeles and Woredas will be opened next, anticipating how long each will be worked.
• With the SUCs and Operations Officers, manage the opening of new tasks and the handover of completed tasks.

Operational Support Tasks

• Represent the programme and deputise for the PM for specific periods where necessary.
• Support the PM and PO with the development of concept notes and proposals (providing operational clearance rates, data etc.)
• Ensure that casualty evacuation procedures are appropriate and regularly exercised. Document exercises and key findings, implementing corrective action plans where necessary.
• Ensure that all tasks have the necessary documentation, such as task books, task folders, clearance progress maps, original survey reports, etc.
• Organise and conduct tests and trials as requested, in collaboration with programme management and HALO visitors.

Logistics and Administration 

• Provide input to local and international logistics procurement to ensure that sufficient equipment is supplied to field staff to support field operations.
• Assist the programme logistics team in the provision and introduction of new operational equipment to improve working processes.
• Authorise financial spending under the delegated authority limit for the Operations Manager.
• Regularly assess if the correct number of EOD tools, PPE, uniform, boots and demining equipment are available to meet operational needs, and if not, raise the requirements to the PM.
• Monitor equipment usage, provision, and maintenance in the field.
• Conduct monthly store checks as per the logistics store checks schedule each month. 

Explosive Stores:

• Ultimately responsible for the EOD stores, both temporary and permanent, ensuring that checks are being done according to the schedule and that the store meets EOD SOPs guidelines. 
• Work with the EOD team to ensure all remedial action identified is corrected.

Accidents and Incidents

• Assist with investigation and reporting on any arising accidents, incidents, or near misses within the programme and take follow-up remedial action where necessary.
• Support investigations of mine-related accidents outside of HALO, in coordination with the liaison officer.
• Demonstrate leadership and oversight of accident and incident response, ensuring appropriate actions, effective reporting, and documentation in compliance with programme-specific Serious Incident Management Plans (SIMP).
• Update the A&I database until such a time that this can be managed by the Programme Coordinator. Ensure that accidents, incidents, and near misses are escalated to the PM and A&I database reports are prepared within 48 hours.

Ad Hoc Duties

• Undertake other duties as assigned by the Programme Manager

All HALO staff are expected to undertake the following general duties: 

• Work within the framework of HALO’s core values, promoting its ethos and mission statement
• Work towards achieving programme and/or group business plan objectives 
• Ensure familiarity with and adhere to all HALO policies and procedures and keep informed of HALO activities
• Travel overseas as and when required 
• To discharge duties and responsibilities under HALO’s Health and Safety Procedures which may include Risk Assessments and participation in evacuation procedures as necessary. 
• This job description is intended to summarise the main duties and responsibilities of the post; this is not intended to be a full and exhaustive list of tasks. All HALO staff are expected to demonstrate flexibility and willingness to perform appropriate tasks when the need arises. 

Requirements

• Minimum of 5 years of previous relevant work experience in Mine Action and/or disarmament.
• Completed Mine Action Manager Course from Geneva CIHD ideally, a comparable qualification from a recognised organization is acceptable.
• IMAS EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Level 3+ certification, from a recognized organization, with verifiable currency of training (at least one single item and one bulk demolition in the past 18 months)
• IMAS EOD Level 1 Instructor certification from a recognized organization.
• IMAS IEDD (Improvised Explosive Device Disposal) Level 3 certification, from a recognized organization.
• IMAS BCP (Basic Care Provider) & ICP (Intermediate Care Provider) certifications, obtained within the last 24 months or a demonstrated history of successful annual refresher training.
• IMAS NTS (Non-Technical Survey) certification, from a recognized organization. 
• Master’s degree from a recognized University-level institution, in a relevant field to HMA and management (International development, MBA, etc.)
• Experience and qualifications in Data Analysis and Data Visualization are desirable (SQL, Power BI). 
• Excellent computer literacy in the use of Microsoft Outlook, Powerpoint, Excel (pivot tables is a minimum) and Word.
• C2 (Proficient or native) English level desired, C1 level acceptable, fluent in both written and spoken.
• Fluency in Amharic is desirable.
• Demonstrated qualifications/experience in developing standards, guidelines, or Standing Operating Procedures or conducting research.
• Demonstrated experience in managing training.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to address issues as they arise and find effective solutions.
• High level of integrity and ethical standards to build trust with colleagues, stakeholders, and the local community, while maintaining strict confidentiality.
• Ability to lead, motivate, and develop a diverse team, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Extensive knowledge of HALO Ethiopia’s manual clearance, EOD, and NTS SOPs and procedures, including quality assurance.

How To Apply

Send an email with “Operations Manager” in the subject line to hte.applications@gmail.com . This email must also contain: 

Your CV (resume).

A motivation letter of no more than two (2 pages).

All your relevant EOD, NTS, data analysis, Medic certifications.

You must be able to attend in-person interviews in October 2025 in Semera

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

The HALO Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of age, race, religion, colour, national origin, disability, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or marriage or civil partnership/domestic partnership status. Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply. HALO has zero tolerance to all forms of safeguarding violations and is committed to providing a safe and respectful work environment for all employees, free from sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment, and bullying.

At no stage of the recruitment process does HALO charge a fee.